Harry b



(No Model.)

I H. B. STEWART.

BOTTLE jSTOPPER.

1 Io.4=4=1,448. Patented Nov. 25,-1890.

. UNITED STAT S PATENT OFFiCEL ARRY R. STEWART, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNoR on ONE-HALF TO CONRAD e. BESOH, on SAME PLACE.

BOTTLE-STOPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 441,448, dated November 25, 1890.

Application filed August 12, 1390. Serial No. 361,801. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.- Be it known that I, HARRY B. STEWART, a

- citizen of the United States, residing at St.

Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bot tie-Stoppers, of which the following is such a full, clear, and exact description as will enable any one skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the Same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to bottle-stoppers more particularly for bar-keepers use, or where the mouth of the bottle is to be closed temporarily after the ordinary cork has been removed.

The object of the invention is to construct a cheap and simple stopper for bottles that can be readily manipulated by one and the same hand that holds the bottle.

The invention consists, preferably, of a globular stopper of suitable material which is adapted to close the mouth of a bottle, the said globular Stopper having an elastic cord passing through it, the ends of which are by preference made to engage ears which may be secured to an elastic ring placed about the neck of the bottle, whereby the stopper is adapted for bottles with'long, short, large, and small necks and the force with which the stopper is held to the bottle also rendered ad justable. 4

The invention will be best understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bottle=stopper made in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof, taken at right angles to the plane of Fig. 15 and Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

The Same figures of reference indicate the 'same parts throughout the several views.

5 is the neck of a bottle, and 6 preferably a ball of soft rubber, cork, or other suitable material. This ball is perforated to receive an elastic cord 7 of rubber or other suitable material.

8 8 are ears formed of bent wire, the ends of which are wound around an elastic ring 9, by preference applied to the neck of the bottle, which ring is made of rubber or other suitable material. The said ring is adapted to come against the shoulder formed between the neck and head of the bottle, as clearly of the same through the ears the ball 6 may be made to press with any required force against the mouth of the bottle. The ears compress the elastic cord where it passes through them and hold the ends thereof firmly in place. The elasticity of the cord and the shape of the ears permit the adjustment of the device to regulate the force with which the stopper is held to the bottle or its adj ustment to bottles of long and short necks, no special adjusting devices being necessary for this purpose.

The balls and rings when made of rubber will be molded. The elastic cord is now obtainable in the market and may be out in the desired lengths. The ears can be made of any sort of wire. The device, it will be seen,

can therefore be very cheaply manufactured.

The bottle stopper herein Set forth and claimed is more especially adapted for the use of bar keepers and obviates the objection of having to remove the cork and put it to one side each time a portion of the contents is poured from a bottle. It affords a ready means for this purpose, is easily applied to a bottle, and the ball when closing the mouth of the bottle forms a tight cover for the same.

The device is constructed so that by pressing the thumb against the ball it can be thrown in the position shown by the dotted lines of Fig. 1 to open the bottle, and by raising the ball from the position shown by the dotted lines of Fig. 1 with the forefinger it can be made to close the bottle. Thus the bottle can be held in one hand and opened and closed by that hand, leaving the other hand free to hold the glass or receptacle into which the contents of the bottle are to be poured. When an ordinary cork is employed, the bottle must be held in one hand and the cork removed with the other hand, and the cork when so removed is often mislaid and liable to be lost. In my invention it is not necessary to remove the device from the bottle until the bottle is entirely empty and then the device is applied to another bottle.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that this bottle-stopper may be readily removed from one bottle and applied to another.

I am aware that globular bottle-stoppers with a Wire bail passing through the ball part thereof and suitably held to the bottle by metal fastenings have been constructed heretofore and do not wish to be understood as claiming the same.

What I desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States as my invention is- 1. A bottle-stopper consisting of a ball of suitable material adapted to'be applied to the neck of a bottle, an elastic .cord passing through the same, and connections for adjustably securing said elastic cord to the neck of a bottle, for the purpose described.

2. Abottle-stopper consisting of a ball of suitable material, a compressible elastic cord passing through the same, ears with which the ends of said compressible cord engage by which the cord may be adjusted, and retaining means for holding the ears to the bottle, whereby the device may be used on bottles with long and short necks and the force with which the stopper is held to the bottle may be regulated.

3. A bottle-stopper consisting of a ball of suitable material adapted to be applied to the neck of a bottle, an elastic cord passing through the same, and an elastic ring about the neck of the bottle to which the ends of the elastic cord are adj ustably secured.

4:. A bottle-stopper consisting of aball of suitable material, an elastic cord passing through the same, an elastic ring sprung over the neck of a bottle, and ears attached to said ring and constructed to adj ustably secure the elastic cord to the elastic ring.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal, this 8th day of August, 1890, in the presence of the two subscribing Witnesses.

HARRY B. STEWART. [L. s]

Witnesses:

A. O. FOWLER, M. S. REEDER. 

